


your eyes look like coming home

by harrytomlinsonwhoops



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Genderswap, Girl Direction, M/M, Smut, Soul Bond, soul mates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2015-07-13
Packaged: 2018-04-08 19:29:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4316973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harrytomlinsonwhoops/pseuds/harrytomlinsonwhoops
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>harry is half in love with a girl who shes only even spoken to on the phone, peter pan and spidergirl simultaneously. fate has a funny way of working itself out [girl!larry]</p>
            </blockquote>





	your eyes look like coming home

**Author's Note:**

> as always, this is for amy.

harry's sixteen when she first gets a job in the pizza shop just around the corner from her house. her mum had practically _forced_ her to apply for all the stores around their house - something about not being able to afford harry's beanie habit anymore, which, whatever- and a week had gone by when she hadn't heard anything, and then she'd got the call.

so that's why she's sprinkling cheese onto pizza bases and taking phone calls from obviously drunk customers on a saturday night instead of hanging out with zayn or skyping with ed, maybe.

"'lo, homeslice pizza here, harry speaking, how can i help?" she answers on the fourth ring.

the person on the other end of the phone sighs. "hello harry. you don't sound very happy. aren't people who work in customer service supposed to be happy? you're not doing a very good job," she accuses and harry frowns, pausing in her cheese sprinkling.

"sorry, do i know you?" she questions, even though she's almost one hundred percent sure she doesn't. she'd remember a voice like this, she thinks.

"definitely not," the girl replies. "if you did, you'd definitely be happier."

harry frowns again. "i'm happy," she protests, but then she remembers that she still has to cheese at least nine more pizzas, and she sighs loudly. "okay, well you wouldn't be happy either if your job consisted of dealing with drunken idiots and cheesing an unspeakable amount of pizzas."

the girl laughs. "but if i got to spend that time with you, i'm sure it'd be a blast!" she says, her voice deepening slightly, and harry pauses. is she flirting?

"are you flirting?" she asks, never one to beat around the bush, and the girl laughs again.

"i'm ordering pizza," she replies. "i'd like a small vegetarian and a large ham and pineapple, please," she recites. there's another voice on her end, and she sighs. "also two garlic breads and a small diet coke," as harry's writing this down in her little notebook, she's interrupted again, and harry hears high pitched squeals coming from the phone, and then, "-and two litres of orange fanta as well," the girl sighs loudly as she's interrupted once more. "i'm not rich daisy, so unless you want to pay for it, i'm not getting you the chocolate pudding," she snaps, her voice slightly muffled- harry assumes she's holding her hand over the receiver- and harry laughs.

"kids these days," she jokes, finished writing the order.

"tell me about it," the girl huffs. "i have four little monsters harassing me every second of the day, basically."

"you have four kids? jesus," harry replies, surprised.

the girl laughs. "oh no. they're my sisters. mum's a nurse, and works overnights so i'm in charge then," she brags, before pausing. "only i can't cook, so that's why i'm chatting to you and all," she adds sheepishly.

harry grins. "well i can have your order out to you in about twenty," she says. "the quicker you feed the monsters the quicker you can put them to bed, right?"

the girl sighs. "unfortunately there's no easy way to put four little girls to bed. but yes, i suppose if they're in a pizza coma that it'll be easier."

harry laughs, and presses some buttons on a calculator. "it'll be £38, for all that," she informs her and the girl hums. "oh- and i need your address, and a contact number?"

the girl rattles off her home number and her address and harry writes it down as the oven timer goes off. "um- okay, so i have your order and details and- is that all? only, i'm alone here, at the moment, and the oven timer's going off, so-"

"yeah, nah, that's- go for it," the girl stutters. "um, see you when you're here then?"

harry frowns, holding the phone between her cheek and shoulder as she fumbles for the large oven mitts. "i can't drive for another six weeks," she sighs, mentally cursing her mother for not giving birth to her sooner. "so niall- the other girl that works here - will drop it off," she says.

the girl sounds almost sad when she replies. "oh, okay. well- nice talking to you harry. i am eternally grateful to you for saving me and my sisters from dying of starvation," she proclaims and harry grins so wide her face almost hurts. "i'll let you get back to your job then," she says, promptly hanging up before harry gets the chance to reply. she stares almost longingly at the phone for long enough that the pizzas are slightly burnt by the time she remembers them.

(before niall takes the girls order away, she slips in five of the chocolate puddings, with a note saying _don't tell anyone, but i slipped sleeping tablets in these. good luck tonight! xx_. niall says it's incredibly cheeky of her but when she comes back, she's grinning and tells harry that the girl positively was glowing when she read the note so, it was worth it really, harry decides- even when she does get yelled at sunday morning for giving away free food, and _that money will definitely be coming out of your pay check young lady_. she just won't buy that cd she's been eyeing all week, it's fine.)

♀♀♀

on monday at school, zayn teases harry for their entire lunch break.

"i can see it on your face," she announces the second they see each other. harry's never been more grateful in her life that zayn opted out of science and maths that year, so she at least had three hours of peace every monday and thursday morning. "you have like- an actual expression. that isn't anger, basically."

harry scowls at her. "shut up," she says, flopping down under their tree. zayn looks almost gleeful, the bitch, when she bats her eyelashes at harry.

"so who's the girl?" she sing songs.

harry sighs. "dunno what you're talking about," she huffs, pulling a banana out of her bag. zayn glares at her as she shrugs and begins pealing it. "really," she protests through a mouthful of banana. "i didn't meet anyone."

zayn eyes her curiously, like she doesn't believe a word she's saying (it's not that harry's lying though, really. she never met the girl, exactly. and it's not like she has a crush just after hearing a voice over the phone, honestly, she's not that pathetic. really.) "i don't believe you," zayn finally decides, and fuck her, really.

"c'mon z, you know that after n-nick, i don't really wanna date anyone," she reminds her, wincing slightly as she stumbles over nick's name.

"sorry," zayn mumbles, reaching over to pat harry's knee, which is basically the extent of closeness she's comfortable with. "i didn't mean to tease-" harry interrupts her with a loud snort, and zayn rolls her eyes, grinning. "okay, so maybe i did, but you know i didn't mean to make you think of nick or anything. just- you look good h, really," she says tentatively and harry smiles softly.

the thing is, she kind of does. she's washed her hair for the first time in ages, and even brushed it too, so her curls are almost shining- it's the first time in weeks she hasn't worn a beanie. and yesterday she'd finally finished writing the song she'd been working on for months, since before nick even, because if she's honest with herself- and she is, now, or at least she's trying- she hadn't written a single word since that day nick first smiled at her. she's not sure what's changed, exactly, but her mum hugged her for about six and a half minutes before she dropped her at school that morning, and she knows it's good, basically.

"i- i'm trying," harry finally says, and zayn nods knowingly.

"i never thought i'd get over perrie," she admits, and harry rolls her eyes.

"you never even dated perrie z, jesus. you had one class with her three years ago and since then you've only managed to say a total of three and a half words to her," harry teases, and zayn frowns.

"you don't have to talk to someone to know you're in love with them," she protests, and harry rolls her eyes again. it's a miracle they haven't fallen out of her head at this point. "but anyway- i'm over it now. and you'll get over nick, too," she adds softly, and harry smiles slightly.

"i'm getting there. i think?" she says, phrasing it as more of a question than a statement. "i mean- we weren't forever, obviously. so there must be someone else out there for me who is, right?"

zayn nods slowly, and harry can tell by the look on her face that she's thinking of the girl before perrie, with the brown eyes and too many walls around her heart. rebecca. it had ended badly, and zayn had since sworn off anything other crushing on cute girls from a distance. her fingers are twitching, and harry places her hand on top of zayn's, curling their fingers together. "quitting gets easier, you know," she says quietly, and she's only half talking about zayn and her smoking, really, but zayn nods once as though she understands, gripping her hand a bit tighter as she blows a piece of hair off her face.

"you let ed smoke," she huffs, and harry laughs.

"well he went off to be a world wide pop star, didn't he? i can't exactly control him now," she explains, and zayn sighs.

"can't control me either," she mumbles, but she doesn't reach for the emergency fags she keeps in her pencil case, so harry thinks that maybe she kind of _can_. "hey- if you're better and all, want to come to eleanor's halloween party with me this weekend?"

harry rolls her eyes. "what, so i can watch as she makes sad puppy dog eyes at gemma? no thank you," she says, causing zayn to laugh.

"gemma's not going, i already asked. something about an exam the next day. c'mon haz, please? it'll be a blast, i promise," zayn says, pouting. harry wants to resist, but zayn's doing that  _thing_ where she widens her eyes and her lip quivers, and-

"i hate you," harry grumbles, glaring as a smile lights up zayn's face.

"no you don't," zayn says, practically singing the words. harry shoves her away, but doesn't object when zayn leans on her shoulder only a moment later.

♀♀♀

louis  _hates_ halloween. she hates costumes and she hates fake blood and she hates being surrounded by candy she can't eat-  _especially_ since she's been gorging herself on pizza lately. she tell's liam as much, while she's being forced into a spiderman costume.

"do you think my batgirl costume looks silly?" is liam's response, and louis rolls her eyes. she'd almost forgotten that liam was completely hopeless.

"liam," she repeats, raising her voice. "i hate halloween. this spiderman costume makes my boobs look small. i don't want to go to this party, let's just stay home instead."

liam sighs as she zips louis up. "we promised eleanor," she says.

"i rented a bunch of horror movies," louis responds. "eleanor won't even notice we're not there, i swear."

"we told her we'd come over an hour earlier and help set up," liam says, and louis sighs.

"i had to at least try to get out of it," she says. "okay, fine, we'll go."

liam blinks at her. "i know we're going. we promised we would. there was never any way we wouldn't go."

louis sighs, pulling on her boots. "you're so sensible," she says, and liam beams at her. "it's not a  _good_ thing," louis adds, and liam sticks her tongue out at her before pulling on her batman mask. "anyway, we have to take the twins trick or treating first, so we better get going. i warn you now payne: lottie has already pumped them full of sugar, so they'll be hard to control."

liam gulps, and louis is pretty positive that the only reason liam is terrified of children is because she can't always control them, and liam hates it when she's not in control. which is why it's such a miracle that they're even friends, really. 

(daisy falls asleep in liam's arms an hour later, finally crashing from the sugar coma. liam's ponytail has been yanked out and louis is pretty sure that her leg is bleeding under her spiderman suit, but the twins are happy, so that's all that matters. when she tells liam so, liam just mumbles something about how glad she is that her sisters are all older. louis doesn't agree- being the oldest means being the boss, which is what she's best at).

♀♀♀

it takes louis a little bit under a hour to get completely and totally drunk. she wasn't even planning on it, but liam had ditched her when they arrived- eleanor forgot to mention that danielle would be stopping by at some point, and then danielle forgot that stopping by generally meant, not staying for the whole  _fucking_ night. louis hadn't seen liam in two hours now, but she was starting to think that the person hiding behind the pot plant did look awfully familiar. 

"stan, i must go on a quest- a quest for liam," louis announces, interrupting stan in the middle of a story. "and the girl who is hiding over there, behind the pot plant, looks awfully like liam."

stan glaces over, and nods lazily. "liam's boobs are small," he says, and louis beams.

"and mine are not!" she agrees, as stan fake retches.

"i don't want to think about your boobs tommo, that's gay," he groans, and louis rolls her eyes.

"i'm a  _girl_ staniel. that is the  _opposite_ of gay. straight, even," louis corrects, and stan groans again. 

"okay, fine, it's like- incest. whatever,  _gross_ ," he concedes, and louis walks off with a huff. she reaches the pot plant and sits herself down next to the girl before realising that liam was dressed as batman last time she saw her, not catwoman. 

"you both have pointy masks," louis tells the girl, who looks over in shock. "you and liam," she clarifies. the girl just sighs in response.

"is that your girlfriend?" she asks, and her voice is raspy and she sounds like she's been crying. 

louis makes the most disgusted face in all of history, and the girl laughs. "god no. i would rather eat my hands off than date liam," she says, and the girls cheeks dimple. 

"i'm the same with my best friend, zayn," she says quietly. "have you seen her?"

louis tilts her head, and stares intently at the girl. "i don't know her. so, maybe, but like. i wouldn't know, right?"

the girl nods, like louis was making perfect sense. "of course. so how do you know eleanor?"

"we're at school together. she's a year younger, but we do drama class together," louis explains. "what about you?"

the girl shrugs. "she dated my sister for awhile, but it didn't really go anywhere, 'cause gemma's too busy for a girlfriend. they're still mates though, and eleanor likes my hair a lot, so."

louis reaches over and tugs on one of the girls brown curls that had fallen loose from her ponytail. "you have pretty hair," she agrees, and the girl smiles sadly. "why are you sad?"

"my ex girlfriend is here," the girl says, sighing. "i don't know how nick even got invited- eleanor hates her. but she's still here, and making out with every thing with a pulse just to get a rise out of me."

louis pats the girls knee. "fuck her," she says, and the girl laughs.

"i did. that was what got me into this mess," she deadpans, and louis laughs. 

"girls suck," louis announces, and the girl nods. "i mean, like, i had this girlfriend, hannah, right, who just  _dumped_ me, for no reason, at the beginning of this year. she told me we'd still be best,  _best_ friends, but like,  _fuck that_ , right? i didn't want to be her fucking friend. i wanted to  _fuck_ her, you know?"

the girl nods again. "girls are stupid," she agrees, before eyeing louis curiously. her eyes are the greenest louis has ever seen before, and her mascara is all smudged but louis kind of wants to kiss her anyway. "except you," the girl eventually decides, and louis beams at her.

"i am a genius, it's true," she says seriously, and the girl grins at her. louis is a little bit allergic to love, but she thinks she could make an exception if this girl keeps smiling at her like that. "i'm especially good at like, calculus and shit," louis adds, mentally kicking herself.

"i wish i was your maths homework," the girl says, and her voice has deepened, and louis feels her cheeks redden. 

"why?" she says, and her voice does absolutely  _not_ quiver.

"because then i'd be hard, and you'd be doing me on your desk," the girl responds, staring intently at louis, and biting her lip, and louis feels a rush of warmth spread through her body before the words actually register, and she almost falls to the floor laughing.

the girl pouts as louis manages to regain control over herself. "you are so lucky i like lame girls," she proclaims, before standing up and reaching a hand down to the girl, who grasps it softly. louis pulls her to her feet. "i happen to have inside knowledge of where the spare room is," she informs the girl, who beams. "i  _also_  happen to know that there's a bed in there, so-"

"take me there," the girl demands. "right now."

louis winks at her. "your wish is my command, catwoman."

♀♀♀

harry starts pulling her catwoman suit off the second the door shuts behind them, and the girl quickly follows.

"let me get your mask off," harry whispers when she's standing naked except for her panties and mask, and the girl smirks at her, eyes raking over the pale girl's lanky body, almost moaning at her sinfully long legs.

"let's leave them on," she suggests, and harry grins, before pushing her on the bed and kissing her. the girl tastes like vodka and strawberries, and harry feels like her entire body has been set on fire when the girl flips them over, dainty hands pushing her into the mattress, and starts kissing her way down harry's chest, pausing for a moment as the girl pulls back, smirking as she reaches out to twist harry's nipple, chuckling once before she leans back in, latching her hot mouth over the other, tongue swiping playfully across the growing bud. after what feels like a million years, yet only a handful of seconds, the girl moves her attention further down harry’s heaving chest, fingers crawling down her body until finally,  _finally_ the girl leans down from her space between harry’s thighs, breath ghosting over her panties, drawing a soft moan out of her.

“please - please,” she calls out, eyes scrunching shut as the girl mouths at her panties, moving to tilt her hips up only to be pushed back against the mattress once again.

"is this okay?" she whispers, staring up at harry. her lips are bright red, harry's lipstick smudged all over them, and harry feels lightheaded.

"more than," she replies, and the girl grins at her.  harry could almost cry with happiness when the girl finally pulls her panties down her legs, no longer wasting time as she burrows her head straight back between her thighs. when her tongue finally connects with harry's clit, only a moment later, her groan is almost as loud as harry's. harry's hand tangles in the girls hair, and the girl pauses for a moment to whisper _i like having my hair pulled, please_ , which almost makes harry orgasm right then and there. harry keeps up a steady stream of curse words as the girl licks and sucks her, and it only takes her a few minutes before harry is practically screaming out her release. 

"god," harry breathes out when the girl wiggles her way back up the bed. "i don't know if i can even stand up after that," she jokes, and the girl grins, and wipes her face. she kisses harry, and harry can taste herself on the girls lips, and  _fuck_ if she's not ready to go all over again.

"i don't need much, going down on girls always pretty much does it for me," the girl admits, and harry pulls the girl up further on her chest.

"sit on my face," she practically begs, and the girl groans into her mouth before swinging her legs over harry's head. harry thought before that nothing could ever taste as good as the girls mouth did, but  _fuck_ , she has never been more wrong in her life. she starts off slowly, before the girl starts giving her instructions.

"a little to the left," she groans, and as harry complies, the girl almost bottoms out. "could you- fingers, please?" she asks next, and harry pauses for a second to get the angle right, while making sure that she's still supporting the girl, and manages to work a finger inside her. the girl is practically  _dripping_ wet, and harry easily pushes two more fingers inside her. "i'm close," the girl whines, and harry moves her mouth over the girls clit, closing her lips over it as she works her fingers in and out of the girl. her moans grow louder and louder, and she finally comes, almost squeezing harry's head off between her thighs. harry holds her up as she continues to help her through the after shock, and manages to draw another orgasm out of her, surprising the both of them.

"i think i love you," the girl breathes out when she finally collapses next to her on the bed. "seriously- i don't think i've ever come so hard in my  _life_."

harry beams at her. "i have been told that before," she smirks. the girl flicks her nipple in response. "what's your name, by the way?" harry asks curiously, and the girl grins before jumping- well, stumbling, really, harry proudly notices- out of the bed. harry makes a mental note to help eleanor change the sheets before she leaves.

"nuh uh, catwoman, no faces, no names," the girl says, pulling on her spiderman suit quicker than humanly possible. harry takes a moment to wonder about the possibility that this girl is a real life superhero.

"but-" harry protests, before being cut off by a searing kiss. there's a knock on the door and the girls pull away from each other as harry almost falls off the bed in her scramble to get dressed. 

"tommo- i  _know_ you're not fucking some poor girl on the bed my _grandmother_ is supposed to be sleeping on in two days," eleanor's voice rings out, and the girl grins sheepishly at harry.

"i would  _never_ ," the girl protests, before opening the door once she confirms that harry is dressed. "how nice to see you el," she says, smiling at eleanor. eleanor frowns, and adjusts her bunny ears, before peering over at harry and rolling her eyes. 

"of  _course_ you two would hook up," she mutters under her breath, hitting louis on the chest. "liam is looking for you, by the way," she tells the girl. "dani finally left, so she's coming out of hiding. she's in my mothers bedroom, by the way."

the girl rolls her blue eyes behind her mask, and turns to kiss harry quickly on the cheek. "must be going dear, superhero duties call and all," she says, before slapping eleanor on the ass and flouncing off. harry watches her go, mouth hanging open in shock.

"i think i'm in love," she informs eleanor, who snorts. 

"don't be stupid styles. that girl is  _trouble_ ," she says, before turning around. "there are fresh sheets in the cupboard. they better be washed and changed before you leave tonight," she calls over her shoulder.

harry sighs, and begins stripping the bed.

♀♀♀

"okay, but eleanor, this girl is probably my  _soul mate_ ," harry pleads, holding the phone between her ear and shoulder as she paints her toenails a bright red. 

eleanor scoffs. "you said that about the pizza girl last week," she reminds harry, who pauses for a second as she considers that.

"i could have two soul mates," she finally decides, and eleanor laughs.

"look, styles, it's nothing against you, but i promised i wouldn't say anything, okay?"

harry sighs. "but el, that's ridiculous! i've already slept with the girl, why can't i know her name?"

"because she asked me not to tell you. something about fate would bring you together if that's what was planned," eleanor scoffs, and then her voice softens. "personally though, i think she's just afraid of getting hurt. her last girlfriend really did a number on her, and her best friend got her heart broken at the same time, so she doesn't have a whole lot of faith in love. surely you can understand that."

harry frowns. "of course i understand that," she says sadly. eleanor is silent for a moment.

"i'm sory about nick," she says eventually. "she came with a girl i play netball with- i had no idea she'd be there. i kicked her out as soon as i realised."

harry's laugh sounds bitter, even to her own ears. "i'd already seen plenty by then," she says sadly, and eleanor sighs into the phone. 

"sorry h," she says softly, and harry puts on her fake happy voice. _  
_

"thanks el. listen, i better go, i've got plans with zayn soon, but- if spiderman changes her mind, let me know, yeah?" harry pauses for a moment, before a wicked smile spreads across her face. " tell her that i'm happy to wear the mask again, if that helps," she adds.

eleanor mock retches. "goodbye harry," she says. "love you."

"talk soon love," harry says, hanging up. 

♀♀♀

the next saturday, the pizza girl calls again.

"hello harry! the usual, please," she chirps after harry's monotone greeting, and harry grins, instantly dropping the crate full of soft drinks she's supposed to be filling the fridge with to the floor.

"you've only ordered it once, i'm not quite sure that can be counted as the usual," she replies and the girl laughs.

"i've only ordered if from you once," she corrects. "you don't know how many times i've ordered from here before you started working here. i could have ordered the usual from here every single day before you answered the phone last week," she adds, and harry laughs.

"i'm trying to picture that, but i honestly can't imagine anyone ordering that much pizza," harry shrugs. "i mean- in america, maybe. but in london? i don't think so."

the girl sighs. "okay, you got me," she concedes. "mum left me in charge of the monsters again, so that's the only reason i'm calling." harry grins, and niall makes a stupid kissing noises from the other side of the room where she's cheesing the pizzas- harry had flat out refused when she started her shift- and harry growls at her. "did you just growl?" the girl asks, and harry blushes a deep red.

"um," she replies. "there is a very strong possibility that i did, yes," she finally says, and the girl laughs again. laughter is one of harry's favourite sounds in the world, and she would listen to this girls laugh on repeat for the rest of her life if she could. "anyway, so the large ham and pineapple, the small vegetarian, the large fanta and the small diet coke?" she hurriedly says.

the girl hums happily. "you remembered!" she trills, and her voice is beautiful, and harry is well and truly fucked, basically. "only this time, forget the soft drinks please. we've- me and fizzy, that's the _we_ \- made iced tea. i may have got my favourite white shirt covered in lemon, but it tastes scrumptious, so definitely worth it.

harry grins. "sounds delicious," she practically purrs, and niall laughs hysterically from across the room. harry turns red but flips her the bird all the same. "um, so- the usual, then," she clarifies. the girl sounds amused when she replies.

"yes please," she agrees. "did you still have my address, or-"

"yeah, no, we entered it into the system, so- yes," harry replies. "i- niall will have it out to you in about fifteen, probably. it's been a quiet night, so."

the girl sighs, and harry can hear squealing in the background. "sorry harry, i must be going now. the monster twins seem to have gotten into my wardrobe, and have decided to practice ballet, only- well they're hopeless, basically. and unfortunately, mum's number one rule is that i keep everyone alive, so."

harry grins stupidly into the phone, and she's so gone for this girl already, and she hasn't even seen her face yet, god. "yeah, well- people dying is never good, i guess," she replies, smacking her forehead immediately after because- god, how stupid can you get? "anyway, yeah, fifteen minutes then," she says, glaring at niall who still hasn't stopped laughing, the bitch.

"fifteen minutes sounds great," the girl says. "since we don't want people dying, as that's never good," she teases, and she sounds like she's trying not to laugh, and harry pinches the inside of her elbow, where there's a constant bruise that never fades, just to double check that she is, in fact, awake.

"i'm not dreaming this," she informs the girl, who does laugh this time.

"I'm aware of that," she says. "did you think you were?"

harry nods, before remembering the girl can't see her, because that's not how phones work, basically. "i did wonder," she tells her. "it's just- basically, right, i haven't written anything in months, but after i got home from my shift last saturday, i finished an entire song in just three hours, so. yeah. i wondered, is all."

"trust me harry, you couldn't dream me up even if you had the best imagination in the whole world," the girl replies, and harry grins.

"no, i don't reckon i could," she agrees. "maybe you're magic?" she ponders, and harry can hear, rather than see, the girl smile.

"i probably am," she says seriously. "but then again, if i was magic, i'd already have food here, instead of having to wait for pizza."

harry laughs. "but then you wouldn't get to talk to me," she flirts. "maybe that's the magic."

"oh, of course, silly me," the girl replies.

"i'll get your pizza's out to you soon," harry tells her.

"thank you harry," the girl says. "tell niall hello!"

"you can tell her yourself, as i'm still not old enough to deliver to you," harry reminds her, pouting.

"darn," the girl swears happily. "well, tell niall i'll see her soon! goodbye harry!"

"goodbye- um, girl whose name i don't know," harry says, but she's already hung up. she pouts at the phone for a solid thirty seconds before a sauce bottle hits her in the face. "oi!" she calls out to niall, who just laughs.

"you are in way too deep babe," she tells her, and harry sighs.

"i know," she moans. "it's gross, isn't it?"

niall nods her head, blonde ponytail bobbing up and down. "very," she agrees. "but hey- at least she'll be a distraction from the girl you hooked up with on the weekend."

harry frowns. "how did you know about that? i told zayn she wasn't allowed to tell."

niall shrugs, and grins. "i have a sixth sense about these things," she informs harry, who just sighs in response.

♀♀♀

louis' life is a disaster.

with her ballet recital coming up in three weeks, she really shouldn't be eating pizza again, but- she'd just get up an hour earlier tomorrow, and work out for longer. it'd be fine, really.

louis sighs to herself as her cat meows at her, because yeah, breaking your diet just to talk to a girl over the phone was a bit stupid.

"very stupid, even," lottie says, appearing out of nowhere. "almost as stupid as talking to yourself i'd think," she adds, rolling her eyes as louis jumps. "if you paid more attention, maybe you'd notice people walking into the room," lottie drawls, and louis scowls.

"i was talking to the cat, actually," louis says. "and anyway, i was thinking," she informs her. "something you wouldn't know how to do."

lottie grins, and instantly plonks herself down on louis' lap. "i like it when you're around," she says. "everyone else is too nice."

louis jabs her fingers into lottie's left side, and lottie laughs. "thanks," she says sarcastically. "you sure know how to charm a girl."

"i'm not exactly interested in charming girls though, am i?" lottie reminds her, and louis sighs dramatically.

"i don't know where i went wrong so that you'd like boys," she says, and lottie rolls her eyes. they're almost always in that state when they're together.

"i know, it's a major flaw, completely wrong of me, and even though you're only two feet tall, probably, you'll still kick any guy's ass if they even dare look at me," lottie mimics louis' voice, who just grins happily at her.

"glad we got that sorted," she tells her, and lottie laughs.

"so, why are we having pizza again when mum left us spaghetti that you just have to heat up? surely not even you can ruin that," lottie teases, and louis blushes.

"i just thought i'd leave that for tomorrow, to save mum cooking again," she says, lying through her teeth. lottie fixes her with a look.

"you're a dirty liar," she declares, and louis sighs. "is it the delivery girl? because- she's cute and all, but blonde and smiley isn't usually your type," lottie says, scrunching up her nose in thought.

"not the delivery girl," she murmurs, and lottie grins.

"the girl on the phone then? it did sound like you were flirting before," lottie muses, and louis' blush deepens. "is she cute? how do you know her?"

louis coughs. "well, see, the thing about that is-"

lottie groans. "you have a crush on a voice," she says gleefully. "oh god, this is even better than the time you were convinced you were in love with the nurse who worked on the sleeping beauty ballet, and kept accidentally-on-purpose hurting yourself, just so you could talk to her!"

louis scowls. "you suck," she pouts.

lottie laughs. "a voice though lou- god, that's-"

"it's a very cute voice, i'll have you know," louis huffs, finally shoving lottie off her.

"sure lou," lottie says, still laughing. louis really hates her sometimes. "please," lottie says when louis tells her exactly that. "you love me."

louis sighs as lottie cuddles into her. "it's a chemical thing," she defends. "blood relations and all."

lottie laughs, and louis allows a smile to spread on her face.

♀♀♀

louis opens the door before niall even knocks, and the blonde girl almost falls over in surprise.

"hello," louis chirps, and niall grins.

"hungry, are ya?" she asks, irish accent thick with sleepiness. louis blushes in response.

"18 pounds, right?" she asks and niall nods.

"no puddings this time, sorry," she winks and louis blushes again.

"oh, that's fine, i didn't even order them- well, not that i ordered them last time, but-"

"harry's in love with you, probably," niall interrupts, pulling the two pizza's out of the bag.

louis blinks. "oh," she says stupidly.

niall grins again- only, it's not like the grin ever left her face, really. louis thinks she probably never stops smiling. "she was in a right state after your call tonight- kept moaning and groaning about not having her license yet."

louis smiles slightly. "when does she get it?"

niall pauses for a second. "um. in february, i reckon? she only just started with us, so i'm not sure of the exact date and all. but in about two months i think."

louis nods, and mentally files that new piece of information away. "oh, that's cool," she says, aiming for casual but probably landing more around 'fucking insane.'

niall just grins. "what's your name then? harry's asked, only it's just always after you've hung up."

louis grins, handing him the money. "well she'll just have to try harder then, won't she?" she teases, and niall's grin grows almost impossibly wider.

"i like you," she announces, and louis smiles back at her. "but like - break harry's heart and there will be a problem," she adds, smile dimming slightly.

louis frowns. "i haven't even seen her," she protests. "i hardly think that will even ever be an issue."

niall smiles again. "i have a sixth sense about these things," she stage whispers, before turning to leave. louis stands on the doorstep watching her drive off until she can't even see her car anymore, and then just shrugs and heads inside.

(the pizza is devoured within minutes, and louis regrets almost every bite of it as she sets her alarm for five in the morning. but. _harry's in love with you, probably_. totally worth it, really.)

♀♀♀

it's five am when jay enters the house silently, cursing as she trips over the pair of shoes daisy left in the hallway.

"i thought i told phoebe to stop doing that," she sighs when louis pops her head in from the kitchen.

she grins. "it was daisy this time," she tells her, and jay laughs.

"little brat," she says fondly, and louis nods her head.

"they were alright tonight, surprisingly," she says a beat later. "wanted to play ballet, but after i showed them the bruises on my feet, they agreed that it wasn't a game, so we played singstar instead. though, daisy was weirdly infatuated with the colour of my bruises, but i convinced her that purple wasn't a good colour to be."

jay smiles, and slips her shoes off, collapsing on the couch a moment later. louis ducks back into the kitchen, and then settles down next to her with two mugs of tea in her hand. "i'll give you a footrub later," jay promises, stretching out before taking her tea. "in the day time."

louis giggles. "it is the day time mum," she reminds her, and jay turns her head to look out the window.

"it's still dark and i haven't slept yet," she points out. "so actually, it's still night time." louis rolls her eyes and opens her mouth to talk, but jay cups a hand over her mouth. "and also, i'm your mum, so i'm automatically right."

louis promptly licks her hand, causing jay to groan and wipe it on louis' shoulder. "that's not how being right works," she argues. jay raises her eyebrows and louis grins sheepishly. "okay, fine, even though it's the morning, it's still night time. whatever."

jay grins in triumph, and louis pouts, curling into her mother's arms. "why are you up so early love? normally you don't wake until six, for practice."

louis cracks her knuckles and jay taps her hand in warning. "it doesn't hurt, i don't know why the sound bothers everyone so much," louis complains and jay levels her with a look, almost identical to lottie's. "fine, i'll stop," she grumbles.

"good," jay nods, taking a sip of her tea. "so why are you up early again?"

louis blushes. "well- we um, got pizza, again, so i promised myself i'd work out a little bit. the recital is in only a couple of weeks, so i need to be in my best shape and all."

jay cocks her head in confusion. "why did you get pizza again love? i told you there was pasta in the fridge, didn't i? oh gosh, don't tell me we already ate it and i forgot!"

louis rubs her mom's arm. "no, no, it's there, i- just thought you'd be tired tonight, so we could heat it up then is all. plus i had a craving, so," she shrugs, and her mum eyes her suspiciously, before sighing loudly.

"i'm gonna take a wild guess and say that somehow a girl is involved, but i'm really too tired to try and trick you into telling me, so you can get away with it for now," she says, lying back and closing her eyes.

louis grins. her mum is the best sometimes. "i'm gonna go practice mum," she says, slipping out of her grasp. "get some sleep."

jay just mumbles something unintelligible, and louis gently pries the empty mug out of her hand and takes it to the kitchen. when she comes back a minute later, jay is fast asleep, so she unfolds a blanket and lays it over her, kissing her head. "night mum," she whispers, before tiptoeing to the basement to practice.

♀♀♀

louis rehearses for two and a half hours before she finally collapses in a pile of sweat on the couch her mum put in the basement after the last ballet louis had a lead role in, since she ended up sleeping on the ground more nights than not (which was totally worth her back aching for weeks, considering she got a standing ovation for her role as helena in _a midsummer night's dream_.)

this time though, louis didn't just have a lead role, she had _the_ lead role. she would be playing peter in her companies rendition of _peter pan_. she'd been rehearsing for months, and finally madame adele had agreed to give her the role. louis' was the best actress in her class, everyone knew that, but she'd begun dancing years after the other girls, and wasn't as strong of a dancer. but goddammit all if she wasn't going to play peter pan- this was her life destiny, probably.

so this year, that had all changed. louis had finally finished her a levels, and had spent hours every day working on the routines until she had them all down to a science, and nothing would keep her from dancing the lead in the performance.

(not even the twisted ankle that she'd ended up with when she'd received the news she'd landed the role and tried to jump on stan's back- without any warning- in excitement. _nothing_.)

♀♀♀

"ed invited us to his gig friday night," zayn informs harry, not lifting her eyes from her paper. they're in harry's room, listening to ed's new album. zayn's been drawing for the last hour, and harry's- well, harry's been staring at the wall.

her neck cracks when she whips her head around to stare at zayn. "he didn't invite me," she pouts, and zayn rolls her eyes.

"i just said he invited both of us, didn't i?"

"yes, but- he always invites me. when did you two get so chummy anyhow?" harry frowns, rolling off her bed and sitting down next to zayn.

zayn huffs out a breath. "i helped him design his album cover, remember?"

harry folds her arms across her chest. "i helped him write the songs," she protests, and zayn sighs.

"it's not a competition haz," she reminds her. "but even if it was- he still likes you best. almost everyone likes you best."

harry grins, nuzzling her head into zayn's shoulder. "that's the way it should be," she muses, and zayn lets out one of her signature almost-laughs.

"yes, everyone should always like harry styles best. never mind that people have kids and husbands and grandparents and stuff- you're way more important," she says, and harry pouts again.

"i can almost taste the sarcasm," she says, and zayn just blinks lazily in response. "anyway, is it really called a gig if he's playing a sold out show at the o2?"

zayn shrugs, erasing something on her paper. "you know he'd never call it anything else," she says, and harry nods.

"true. oh, what am i gonna wear?"

zayn actually does laugh this time. "jeans and jumper, as always?" she asks, and harry sighs.

"i'm getting a bit sick of jeans actually," she admits, biting her lower lip. "i think i might actually- start wearing my dresses again. that i stopped wearing for like, reasons. and stuff."

zayn nods wisely. "and stuff," she agrees, and harry smiles at her.

"did i tell you i wrote a song the other day?" she asks, and zayn drops her pencil in shock.

"like- a whole song?" she asks, her mouth dropping open in shock. harry nods proudly. "good on ya haz! it's been- what, three months?"

"six," harry corrects. "and two weeks and four days, but. who's counting? anyway, i wrote the music for it as well, not just the lyrics. it's- not bad, i think. maybe even good."

zayn grins a little, and tugs on one of harry's curls. "of course it's good, idiot. and like- you little shit, you've gone and got better, all without me noticing!"

harry smiles up at her. zayn's her best friend for a lot of reasons, and harry usually forgets them because zayn does this annoying thing where she opens her mouth and like, _says things_ , but sometimes she's pretty great. "yup," she agrees, popping the p. "it was an accident, mostly, but still."

zayn kisses her sloppily on the cheek, and harry groans, wiping her cheek in mock disgust. "we should get drunk," zayn decides. "to celebrate."

harry scoffs. "puh-lease," she says. "like you need a reason to get drunk." zayn just grins, and it's only then that harry actually gets a glimpse of the drawing she's been working on for days, all throughout lessons at school and even on their bus home. "ooh, she's pretty," harry says, making a play for the paper when zayn's occupied. "who is she?"

zayn grabs the paper back from harry's hand- gently- and scowls. "nobody," she says, smoothing out the non-existent wrinkles on the page and harry grins.

"zayn likes a girl, zayn likes a girl!" she yells, laughing when there's a bang on the wall that connects her room with gemma's. "you have to tell me who she is, or else gemma will get mad," harry threatens. gemma's scary when she's angry, and while harry got over the fear years ago- really, there's only so many times you can see someone with hair rollers in and face masks on before nothing they do is ever anything other than completely hilarious- zayn was still a little bit nervous around harry's older sister.

"why would she even care?" zayn asks, lowering her voice almost to a whisper.

harry laughs gleefully. "cause i'll keep yelling until she comes in here and demands to know why, and then she'll just force it out of you," she explains, and zayn groans.

"i hate you," she says over harry's laughter. "and your stupid, scary sister."

harry punches her fist in the air, triumphant. "so who is she?"

zayn rolls her eyes again, picking at a thread on her jeans. "a girl in waliyha's ballet class. her name's liam, and she's-"

"really hot," harry supplies, studying the drawing. "jesus z, does she look like this in real life?"

"even better," zayn moans, lying on the floor. "i've been secretly in love with her for almost a year, and just- after perrie, i didn't want to give you more teasing ammunition," she admits after a few minutes, and harry immediately punches her boob. "i deserved that," zayn says sadly, and harry nods in agreement.

"tell me more," she commands, and then, without any hesitation, breaks into a one woman rendition of summer nights. it takes some poking and prodding (mostly poking, really. also- harry's not above hair pulling) but zayn eventually joins in, and harry chucks her a hairbrush to sing into, and then without any convincing, zayn belts out danny's high note, pulling a really stupid (probably meant to look sexy, harry thinks) face. "i'm weak at the knees travolta," harry jokes after they've flopped down in exhaustion onto harry's bed.

zayn just pants for a few moments, and then harry rolls over and props herself on her elbow. "could she get me a friend?" harry jokes, and zayn pinches her arm.

"her name is liam," she finally says, and harry practically glows. she loves knowing things. "and she's same age as us, and a really good dancer, and- her legs, god they're to die for. like- literally, i almost stopped breathing the first time i saw her."

"does she know you exist?" harry asks seriously, and zayn smashes a pillow into her face. "so that's a no, then."

"of course it's a no," zayn groans. "i don't talk to girls anymore, remember?"

"i'm a girl," harry points out, and zayn arches her eyebrows.

"you're an alien," she corrects. "there's no way you're an actual human. i forbid it."

harry giggles, and laces their fingers together. zayn's never been one for psychical contact, but harry's wearing her down. "i think i love the girl from the phone," she says in response, because she's a much better friend than zayn, really. she doesn't keep secrets.

zayn blinks at her for a few seconds. "a girl who lives in a phone?"

harry rolls her eyes, and whacks zayn- in the ribs this time. "no, idiot. a girl who i've only ever spoken to on the phone," harry clarifies. zayn's still staring at her like she's speaking japanese though. "god zayn, keep up. on saturday - the one before last - she rang up and ordered pizza, right, and she was proper flirting, i'm sure of it, but then niall had to deliver the pizza, on account of i -"

"- can't drive," zayn interrupts. "i am aware of that. i am also aware that it is currently one month, two weeks and two days until you can drive," she adds dryly, and harry frowns.

"one day, actually," harry says, and zayn rolls her eyes, again. "anyway, then she rang up again this saturday just gone, and she flirted even more, and this time i even flirted back- or well. i tried. mostly it was just me stuttering and then niall laughing at me," she says, pouting.

zayn grins. "i reckon i'll like this niall girl," she says, and harry nods happily, phone-girl momentarily forgotten.

"oh, yes, definitely. i should see if she can come to ed's gig actually. i know she's a fan and all, so that'd be good. we could all hang out," harry says, an excited smile on her face. zayn nods in agreement, and then harry's frowning again. "niall's met the girl from the phone," she says sadly. "twice, even. how is that fair zayn?"

zayn smiles at her, bemused. "the world is against you," she shrugs, and harry's answering sigh is very over dramatic.

"the universe, more like. all the planets, and like- the sun, as well, probably- is the sun a planet? or a whole different thing?" she says, distracted.

zayn shrugs. "i think it's ball of gas," she says dryly.

"you're a ball of gas," harry shoots back instantly. it's not her best comeback, but she's still tired from singing grease. "anyway, phone girl is really hot, apparently," she says, her voice almost a whimper, and zayn laughs louder than she has in awhile.

"you're pathetic, apparently," she finally manages to get out, and harry jabs her in the ribs repeatedly.

"you're in love with a girl you've never even spoken to," she reminds her, except zayn is laughing too loud to hear her, probably. harry loves being the non ticklish one.

(gemma comes storming in three minutes later, because harry's relentless, and zayn can't stop laughing, jesus, but the look on her face quickly shuts them up and, okay- maybe harry lied a little bit about not being scared of her sister, but- sometimes when she's really mad, she does this thing with her face, and harry's not exactly sure what a serial killer looks like, but she'd describe gemma's face if she's ever asked.)

♀♀♀

"what do you want?" gemma snaps unfairly. or- considering harry had been banging on her door for the last four minutes, she's probably got a reason to be angry, but still.

"rude," harry huffs, forcing her way inside gemma's room. "i need an outfit for tonight," she announces, making a beeline for gemma's closet. it's twice the size of harry's, and harry intends to take full advantage of the fact that even though gemma's three year's older, they're still the same size.

"you're wearing an outfit," gemma protests, before looking harry up and down and scrunching her nose up. "not a good one, sure, but still. doesn't give you the right to my closet."

harry rolls her eyes, and picks a dress out of the closet, holding it against her body, before frowning. "d'ya have anything that will make me look like- well, good?" she asks, voice soft. "it's ed's concert tonight, and well- i'm getting a bit sick of always looking crap next to zayn," she admits. gemma sighs, and whacks harry on the back of her head.

"you always look good h," she says, rifling through her wardrobe. "it's in our genes," she adds, when harry grins at her. after a few seconds, gemma picks out a denim skirt and a white crop top that looks like it has paint splatters all over it. "we can do your eye makeup all colourful, to match, and put bright red lipstick on," gemma says, handing harry the outfit. "and i've got these cool high tops you can wear, and i reckon we'll leave most of your hair down, but put a little bit up, like that- ariana girl?- as a side note, i'm still annoyed you got the curls. highly unfair," she frowns and harry beams at her. "you won’t look as good as zayn- nobody ever does, to be fair- but you'll come close," gemma announces, and harry engulfs her in a hug.

"you're the best sister, basically," she says when gemma scrunches up her face in disgust.

gemma rolls her eyes, but her smile is fond. "well, considering i'm the only one you've got, yeah, probably," she agrees, before shoving harry on a chair and attacking her face with all sorts of creams and powders.

"only- with my hair gem, instead of just having some of it in the ponytail, we could make it a bun?" she suggests when gemma's putting eyeliner on her. gemma tilts her head and stares at harry, almost as though she's trying to imagine the hairstyle on her, and then she finally nods.

"sounds like a plan," she agrees, and harry grins at her. "is zayn taking you to the concert?"

"nah, she couldn't borrow her mum's car, so the girl from work, niall, is," harry explains, and gemma nods.

"the irish one?" she asks, and harry smiles.

"yeah. she's really cool, and was telling me the other week how she really like's ed's music, so i text ed and he said it was cool to bring whoever i wanted," harry shrugs.

gemma blinks at him. "is niall gay?" she asks, and harry shrugs again.

"pretty sure she's straight, but we haven't talked about it much. only, she said she'd climb ed like a tree if she could, but i think she mostly is in love with his voice to be honest," she says, and gemma laughs.

"who are you trying to impress then?" gemma asks curiously.

harry blushes. "nobody," she says, and gemma pinches her cheek. "i'm serious gem! i've just like- been feeling good, lately is all. like, properly good, for the first time since nick. and- maybe i'm ready, again, to think about dating and all. so i decided i should probably dress like- less of a homeless person, probably."

gemma beams at her. "took you long enough h, god," she teases, pulling on one of harry's curls.

harry makes a face. "why does everyone always pull my hair?" she moans. gemma just tugs on it harder.

"because the world is against you," she informs harry, who throws her hands in the air in defeat.

♀♀♀

"i still can't believe i'm here," louis says for probably the sixth time that night. liam- usually the most patient person on the planet- sighs loudly.

"i'm aware," she says dryly, and louis grins, jumping on her back.

"but like- liam, we're at an _ed sheeran concert_ ," she says, for probably the twentieth time. "it's practically like being in heaven. only, without the dying first part. also, i've still sinned and managed to get in here, but i'm pretty sure heaven isn't in my cards," she muses, and liam groans loudly.

"i wouldn't have given you my spare ticket if i knew you'd be like this," she mumbles. louis just beams. "i could have bought like, a  _date_ , or something. god, it's been months since i've been laid," she pouts, and louis sighs.

"you aren't ready for a date," she argues. "the other ticket was meant to be for dani, and we all know if you brought anyone other than me, you'd just be wallowing in self pity all night. but don't you worry payno, i will save the day and make sure you don't think about her for a second," she promises, and liam rolls her eyes.

"well i wasn't thinking about her until you mentioned her," she says and louis blushes.

"oops?" she says, grinning. liam smiles at her, because they are best friends, regardless of how annoying louis can be. "anyway, like, i  _feel_ you, with the not getting laid thing. it's a hard life," she sighs, and liam glares at her.

"excuse you, you got laid just the other week! remember, the cute catwoman girl?" she protests, and louis sighs happily.

"she was great," she agrees. "but like- still liam, it's been a  _week,_ and i never even learnt her name. i'm allowed to dream."

"that was your choice!" liam squeaks.

louis rolls her eyes. "actually, i had to rush off to find you before i could even  _talk_ to her, because dani had finally left so  _you_ had finally come out of hiding," she points out, causing liam to frown.

"hey, remember when you said you were going to make sure i wouldn't think about her for even a second?" liam says, her voice oozing with sarcasm.

"oops," louis repeats, grinning without shame. "okay, well, no mentioning she who shall not be named for the next couple hours," louis declares, and liam laughs loudly, finally shoving louis off her back. "now, are we going to get roaring drunk or should i demand a refund now?" she asks, bounding off to the bar.

"you didn't even pay for the ticket," liam says to her back, but louis is already off flirting with the bartender. she comes back with two free beer's though, so liam swallows what ever comment she was going to make. louis just smiles smugly at her. "how did you do that?" liam asks, incredulous.

louis blinks innocently. "it's my good looks, i reckon," she says, before letting a smile stretch across her face. "or- and this is the more likely theory, so listen close- i wore a low cut shirt and a push up bra for this exact reason," she says, beaming at liam's stunned look before grabbing the tickets out of liam's hands and skipping towards their gate. she laughs when liam catches up to her, and yanks one of the beers out of her hands, downing it within seconds. "thirsty?" she teases, and liam laughs.

"more like, if i'm going to put up with you for the next few hours, i better be totally smashed," she corrects. louis beams with pride.

♀♀♀

ed is even more amazing live, and louis is completely and utterly in awe. even liam's managed to dislodge the stick from her ass, and is drunkenly dancing along to the music, singing her heart out when he plays her favourite songs.

"louis," she yells for the third time. "he's singing _uni_!" she announces, and louis grins, red faced, back at her.

"i'm aware," she shouts back.

"no, but like, this is my song louis- for when dani left," liam reminds her, and her eyes dim a little bit. louis wraps her in her arms as liam belts out the chorus along with ed. she's actually really good, is the thing, and louis remembers back when she used to loathe liam, because she was a better dancer, a better singer, and a whole lot smarter than louis, and really, is it even legal for anyone to look that good when practically sweating buckets? louis maintained that is wasn't, but liam insisted otherwise, and eventually louis had realised that liam was an alright sort of girl, even despite being fucking perfect, and they'd been inseparable since.

the song finishes, and ed, red faced and grinning, shushes the crowd. "alright, so this next song is for my best mate, who actually helped write it after her bitch of an ex girlfriend cheated on her, so this is _don't_ and this is for h," he yells, before launching into the song. louis grins, shouting out the lyrics along with the rest of the crowd- after hannah had broken her heart into a million and one pieces, this was basically all she listened to for months straight. liam links their hands together as they shout _don't fuck with my love_ , and it's then that louis see's her, see's-

the most perfect girl on the planet, probably. she's right up against the barrier, brown curls tumbling down her back as she turns to grin at the two girls behind her- the darker one of which who is also strangely beautiful, probably even more so but louis can barely even tear her eyes away from the first girl, and a blonde girl with a backwards snapback on her head. the curly haired curl laughs at something her friend does, and her smile stretches so wide it covers her whole face. her red lipstick is smudged slightly, but it just makes louis want to kiss it off, and then kiss the rest of her probably, starting with that thin stretch of pale skin between her low cut shirt and denim skirt. she's beautiful, and louis wants to _touch_.

"you're drooling," liam's voice breaks into her thoughts. louis shakes her head out of the coma inducing fog she was in, and wipes her mouth absentmindedly.

"she's beautiful," louis breathes, her voice barely audible over the screaming crowd. she turns to lock eyes with liam. "liam- i think she's the love of my life."

liam laughs at that, and peers over louis' shoulder to determine who she's speaking about. "you mean the girl that ed's just pulled on stage?" she says casually, and louis whips around so fast her hair flick's liam's face, hard.

"oh my god, i can't tell if i want to be her, or be inside her," she says, eyes shining. "liam- look, oh my god, she's perfect."

liam just laughs at her, because clearly she's never fallen in love before- louis momentarily shoves the mental image of danielle from her mind- and pats louis' shoulder. "she's got a good voice too," she says, when the girl grabs ed's microphone and sings along with _never saw him as a threat, until you disappeared to have sex of course_ , and her voice is raspy and high pitched in way's ed's isn't, and together, they sound beautiful.

"better than good, payne," louis snaps, eyes focused on her. when the song finishes, ed thanks the girl again, referring to her as _h_. "i have to speak to her," louis decides, elbowing her way into the crowd. liam follows with a roll of her eyes, but by the time louis manages to shove her way to the barrier, the girl's gone.

louis pouts for the rest of the night, but liam buys her three beers- her boobs aren't good enough to warrant free drinks, louis notes gleefully- and she moves on with her life.

♀♀♀

"that was amazing," niall says, staring at ed, completely starstruck. "you're- jesus, are you sure you aren't like, jesus, or something?"

harry and zayn laugh as ed blushes slightly. "um, pretty positive?" he responds.

"but you're perfect," niall breathes out.

harry scoffs. "he once stuck seven ladybugs up his nose," she says dryly and ed's mouth drops open in horror.

"i was four," he protests. "and- you said you'd never tell anyone that you bitch," he adds, over zayn's loud laughing. niall's still staring at him with complete adoration though, so harry doesn't think it really matters.

"well you told zayn that i used to sleep in the dog's bed when i was six, so really this payback is overdue," harry responds, and zayn laughs even harder.

"god," she breathes out through her fits of laughter. "i'd forgotten about that! i am so glad that i only moved here a couple years ago, and you lot don't know my embarrassing stories," she adds, grinning smugly.

harry just beams at her. "did i tell you your mother made breakfast for me one morning when i slept 'round? she told me all about when you were eight," harry says sweetly, and zayn's laughter cuts off instantly.

ed perks up. "ooh, what happened when you were eight?" he asks, and zayn glares at harry.

"nothing," she snaps, and harry's grin widens.

"for five months, she pretended she was the star of a-" zayn launches herself on harry and covers her mouth with her hand. harry instantly bites down, _hard_ but zayn only lets go after niall pulls her off, muttering about what a fucking _bitch_ her best friend was. "you deserve this you know," harry says haughtily, before turning back to ed. "she pretended she was the star of a reality television show and narrated everything that was happening for imaginary cameras, and was always like, flicking her hair around and wearing sequins, to like, play _football_ in," harry says, with a shit eating grin on her face. zayn pouts as niall and ed howl with laughter, and harry loves her friends, really.

♀♀♀

the opening night of  _peter pan_ had finally come, and louis has been puking for twenty minutes. 

"get your fucking shit together tommo," liam commands, storming into the bathroom. she's armed with mints and face wipes, and louis has never been happier to see her before.

"god, i am  _so_ glad you're here liam," she exclaims. "listen, i can't do this, okay? i don't know what madame adele was thinking: casting  _me_ as  _peter_? jesus, what a  _stupid_ idea." 

liam rolls her eyes. " _you're_ the stupid one louis.  _peter pan_ was  _made_ for you, okay? you've said it yourself a billion and six times before. you know that madame adele wouldn't have chosen you unless she thought you could handle it. you  _know_ that you've been working your ass off for  _months_ for this role. you  _know_ that your understudy is fucking  _useless_ , so here's whats going to happen: you're going to finish this entire packet of mints, wipe the vomit off your face, go get your hair and make up done, and fucking  _breathe_ ," liam commands. with every command, louis sits up a little bit straighter.

"do you really think i can do this?" louis responds, her voice small and scared. liam bends down and kisses her forehead. 

"of course i do lou. you're going to  _amaze_ everyone, i promise," she says, and louis beams up at her. "now- eat the goddamn mints," liam orders. "and  _get your fucking shit together_."

louis loves her best friend, really.

♀♀♀

and liam was right, of course. liam is always fucking right, louis muses as she saves wendy, john, micheal and tiger lily from captain hook. she's remembered every move, every line so far. she's done beautifully- made the audience laugh and gasp in fear in all the right places. so far only tiger lily (a girl two years younger than louis, named waliyha, actually) had stuffed up a line, but she'd smoothed it over so quickly that nobody had even noticed. liam was doing beautifully as captain hook, and the banter between them often had the audience is stitches. 

when the play is finished, louis receives a standing ovation as well as a bouquet of roses form her mum and the girls, and she absolutely does not cry, not even once.

(the stage lights are just bright- that's all. that's what made her eyes water, a bit.)

♀♀♀

"oh my god, oh my  _god_ , she's out there," liam hisses, when they're backstage changing out of their costumes.

"who?" louis asks, unwinding the bandage off her left ankle. 

"waliyha malik's older sister," liam says, and louis can practically  _see_ the hearts appear in her eyes. "remember, she picked waliyha up the other month?"

"sorry, i can't actually remember her," louis shrugs, mind still on the performance. "but like- if you want to fuck her li, just go and say  _hello_. it's not that hard."

the look liam gives louis could kill a baby squirrel, and louis tells her so. "a baby squirrel? how does your mind even  _work_?" is liam's stupid response. "and i can't just  _talk_ to her. she's  _beautiful_ lou- the most beautiful girl i've ever seen in my entire  _life_. and she has  _tattoos_ \- god, i could never even get a girl like that to  _look_ at me, let alone say hello back."

louis rolls her eyes. "it's not my fault that you have that scary squirrel-killer look," louis shrugs, ignoring liam's monologue about the malik girl, before shouldering her way past liam to go thank her mum for the roses.

she's only taken three steps before liam yells out  _i don't kill baby squirrels_ , causing everyone to stare at her. louis laughs echoes around the stage as she walks away.

♀♀♀

"thanks for inviting me," niall tells zayn, for the sixth time that night. zayn and harry simultaneously roll their eyes and whack niall on the back of her head.

"dude, it's my sisters  _ballet_ recital. i didn't actually think anyone would be excited about this," zayn protests, much to harry's amusement.

" _please_ malik, like you aren't just dripping wet thinking about how you get to see liam dance," harry teases, and zayn's cheeks redden. "who's she playing anyway?" zayn mumbles something unintelligible and harry beams. "captain hook? that's awesome z, she'll be on stage heaps then. this will be like, porn for you for months, right?"

niall laughs loudly and harry beams with pride. "shut up," zayn says. "or i'll tell everyone how  _you_ got off with a girl who didn't even let you see her  _face_."

niall instantly perks up. "ooh, what's this?" she asks, and harry glares at zayn as she starts repeating the halloween story. "you didn't tell me that part!" niall says, hitting harry's arm. "c'mon haz, this is the stuff good stories are made of!"

"i hate you both," she announces, storming off to their seats, her two friends giggling behind her. harry is grateful when the lights dim only five minutes later, announcing the start of the play. zayn and niall finally shut up- albeit, unwillingly- as they watch wendy tell the story of  _peter pan_ to her brothers. when peter finally enters the stage, harry almost falls off her seat. 

" _holy shit_ ," she breathes. "she's the most  _beautiful_ woman i've ever seen before," she hisses to zayn, who just rolls her eyes.

"wow, you really like a girl in a costume," niall jokes back, and zayn snickers as she high fives her. harry really hates her friends sometimes.

(karma gets them back later, when liam-as-captian-hook comes on stage, and zayn  _literally_ falls off her seat and niall almost gets kicked out of the theater for laughing).

♀♀♀

that weekend when at work, harry answers the phone to the pizza girl yet again.

"i am officially sworn off pizza," she says, as a way of hello. "i have put on three pounds.  _three_. this is ridiculous. soon i wont be able to fit into my ballet costumes anymore."

harry laughs. "i'm not quite sure what you're doing ringing up a pizza place then," she replies, and the girl sighs.

"we haven't spoken in awhile," she says. "i wanted to check in, and all. have you got your license yet? maybe if you have, i could stand to order a pizza. i could probably squeeze in one slice, before my pants get too tight and cut off my circulation." 

harry groans. "my test is next week, actually," she says, and the girl cheers.

"hey, that's great! maybe i'll order a pizza next weekend then," she flirts, and harry grins.

"why not just come in and pick one up tonight?" she challenges.

the girl hums. "got to leave some mystery, don't i? play hard to get, even."

harry groans into the phone. "i hate mystery," she huffs.

harry can practically  _hear_ the girl smirk over the phone. "but you like me, right?"

"not right now i don't," harry responds, sulkily.

the girl just laughs before hanging up.

♀♀♀

it takes harry two tries, but she  _finally_ passes her driving test. her mum lets her use the car for the day and she instantly drives to zayn's house. 

"you did it!" zayn squeals, launching herself into the car and kissing harry sloppily on the cheek. "congrats!"

harry beams at her, and after zayn puts her seat belt on, drives off. "thank you! i did fail the first time, but what are you gonna do?"

zayn laughs, and pats harry on the knee. "if you kill me, i'm going to haunt your ass forever," she threatens. "where are we going, anyhow?"

"i thought we'd pick up niall and go to see a movie," harry suggests. "she lives not too far from here. could you text her and tell her we're almost there?"

"can do," zayn responds, tapping away at her phone. harry breaks as the traffic light turns red, and gazes out the window. 

"holy shit, zayn, that's peter pan!" she squeals, pointing out the window to where the girl is sitting at the bus stop, reading a book. "oh my god, she's even prettier in normal clothes!"

"the light is green harry, that means  _go_ ," is zayn's response. harry glances in her review mirror and speeds off after taking note of the ever growing line of cars behind her.

"we have to go back," she decides a minute later, before turning the car around and speeding back to the bus stop.

"i am going to die," zayn announces, and harry rolls her eyes. "harry- you are already pining over pizza girl  _and_ spidergirl. for the love of god,  _please_ leave peter pan alone," zayn pleads, causing harry to simply roll her eyes again.

"c'mon zayn, i need to keep my options open," she argues, pulling over when she reaches the bus stop, before swearing when she notices the seat is empty. "she's gone," she notes sadly, and zayn sighs before rubbing her shoulder.

"let's go get niall then. we can eat our weight in popcorn at the movies," she suggests, and harry sighs before starting the car again.

"can we get ice cream too?" she asks, and zayn laughs.

"anything for you haz."

♀♀♀

harry's sitting on her bed the next day, peacefully reading, when her door slams open. when she manages to pick herself up off the floor, she glares at the intruder.

"what the actual  _fuck_  teasdale?" she swears, frowning with lou just grins at her, dropping her bag on the floor.

"your sister let me in," she replies, and harry tilts her head. 

"that doesn't explain anything," she says. "and also- gem's not home, it's just me and mum," she tells her, like lou doesn't know the difference, and lou's grin widens.

"your mum is  _hot_ dude," lou teases, and harry throws a pillow at her. lou gracefully dodges it and launches herself onto harry's bed. "anyway, i'm here because it's an emergency."

harry eyes her curiously. "what's up?"

lou reaches across and yanks on one of harry's curls. "i saw the photo you posted on instagram, with zayn and some blonde girl. you desperately need a hair cut; i could see your split ends from across the room," she says as harry rolls her eyes. "now wiggle your big but into your chair so i can get started," she commands, and harry peers around her at the door.

"you didn't bring lux," she pouts, and lou rolls her eyes and shoves her off the bed. 

"you're meant to be my friend, not my bloody kids," she complains, and harry shrugs, smiling charmingly as she settles into the chair, pulling her ponytail out. lou sets up quickly, and wraps a towel around harry's shoulders.

"sorry lou, you know i love you," she says, and lou rolls her eyes, ruthlessly pulling a brush through her curls. "so what's new in your life?" she asks, pointedly ignoring the pain.

lou sighs loudly. "i think me and tom are finished," she announces, and harry whips her head around so fast she'll later swear she has whiplash. "don't look at me with those sad puppy dog eyes styles- it's done, and there's no point being sad over it."

harry pouts, and slowly turns back around as lou pulls her scissors out of her bag. "but- he'd proposed. you guys have a  _kid_ together," she protests.

lou's silent for a moment as she snips away. "i think that it'll be better for lux in the long run. she'll have two parents that don't live together, sure, but she'll have two  _happy_ parents, and that's more important, i think." 

harry thinks about how much her mum smiled since her dad left. she thinks about how she never smiled when she was still dating nick, and eventually she reaches around and squeezes lou's arm. "you guys are always welcome over here, if you need a friend," she offers, and lou kisses her head.

"thanks haz. we're staying with my parents for a bit, but that means a lot. now- enough about me, tell me what's going on in your life. i hear from gem that you've met a girl?" she grins, and harry groans. 

"i told gemma that there  _wasn't_ a girl," she grumbles, and lou yanks on a curl. "okay-  _fine_ , there is a girl. maybe. possibly three girls."

harry can't see, but she's pretty sure that lou is rolling her eyes. "please explain."

"well- you know i started working at the pizza place, right? well the other week, a girl rang up to order and she was like- proper flirting, i'm sure of it. like at least 36% sure. and then she rang up  _again_ , and flirted even extra, and niall said she's really cute- she has long brown hair and the brightest blue eyes ever, apparently." _  
_

"what's her name?" lou says, voice soft.

harry sighs. "i'm not sure. i know she's got four sisters, and two of them are named daisy and fizzy, i think. but that's about all the information i have on her."

lou's hand stills in harry's hair. "this may be nothing, but- i know a family with two girls with those names," she says, and harry turns and gapes at her as lou blinks lazily at her, totally unaware of the bombshell she's just dropped.

"explain," harry commands, and lou smirks.

"why should i?" she teases, and harry scowls at her. "okay, fine, no need to be so touchy. i cut their hair sometimes. the second oldest one- she's called lottie- did an internship with my salon awhile back, and now she helps me out on the weekends sometimes, y'know, sweeping and all, and in return, her and her family get discounted prices."

"is it lottie that i love?" harry asks, and lou laughs.

"i don't know how you'd expect me to know that, honestly styles," she says, and harry groans. 

"wait, you said lottie was the second oldest, right? the girl i love is the oldest one of the five. i remember on account of she said she was in charge when her mum was out," harry says, and lou pauses for a second. 

"the oldest one is called louis. she's seventeen, i think," she says, and harry grins so wide that her face hurts. 

"oh my god. this is fate, lou,  _fate_. i've got to go," she says, jumping out of the seat, before lou shoves her back down.

"i swear to god styles, if you're going to run off on a mission to meet your alleged soul mate, you aren't going to be doing it with split ends. sit down, and stay  _still_ ," lou orders, and harry pouts.

" _fine_ ," she snaps. "but if i can't leave yet, i want essay length descriptions on the colour of her eyes, and niall apparently thinks that there's only  _one_ shade of blue, so it's up to you."

lou groans. "her eyes are just  _blue_ , styles, i don't know what more you want me to say about them," lou complains.

"well tell me anything else you know then," harry pleads as lou snips away.

"well- she does ballet," lou offers, and harry almost falls off the chair in shock. "was actually in a performance just recently, _peter pan_. lottie recruited me to help with the hair and make-up."

"no fucking way," harry swears. "what the  _fuck_ lou, i was  _at_ that play! you mean-  _holy shit_ , that was my phone girl?" _  
_

"well, yeah. she played peter, i mean."

" _fate_ ," harry repeats. 

"anyway-"

"not now lou, i'm hatching a plan," harry interrupts. "i'm going to have to break the law if i want to see louis tonight," she informs her, without even batting an eyelid.

lou sighs. "okay but i'm not bailing you out of jail if you get caught," she threatens, and harry grins.

"i'll make lux my one phone call then," she promises.

♀♀♀

harry quickly enters the code into the system- she doesn't need cops showing up when she's on a love mission- and speeds into the pizza store. the computer takes about three years to turn on, but when it _finally_ does, harry finds and copies down louis' address (saved under _haz's girlfriend_ , thanks niall) and races out the door, locking it behind her. on her way to louis' house, she manages to break at least three traffic laws, but she's pulling into louis' driveway within ten minutes of leaving the pizza store. she feel's like a police officer would understand if they saw louis smile. louis is kind of beautiful.

harry marches up to louis' front door and is just about to knock before she remembers that it is in fact midnight, and normal people- including louis' four younger sisters- will probably be sleeping. she takes a moment to mentally curse herself for not writing down louis' phone number, before she spots a path of small pebbles leading around to the backyard. she makes an educated guess (the glass is covered with a ballet poster) and aims for the first window on the right of the house. it takes a few minutes, and a handful of pebbles, but eventually a head pops out. louis peers down at harry, who smiles and waves, before disappearing. 

"you're that cute girl from the concert," louis says when she steps outside moments later, and harry tilts her head in confusion. "ed sheeran," louis clarifies, and harry's mouth falls open in shock as she gapes at her.

"you were  _there_?" she asks, and louis' eyes widen as she hears harry's voice.

"holy fucking shit," she says, and harry nods in agreement. " _fuck_ ," louis repeats. "holy shit. _fuck_."

"are you going to be able to say anything than swear words any time soon?" harry asks, smirking as louis laughs.

"you're the pizza girl," louis accuses, and harry nods.

"guilty as charged," she agrees. "but- no pizza this time, sorry."

"well, it _is_ midnight on a tuesday so-"

"-wednesday, now," harry interrupts, as louis rolls her eyes. 

"so if you don't have pizza, what exactly are you doing throwing rocks at my window in the middle of the night?" she asks, shoving her hands in her jumpers pockets.

"i just thought, since you like ballet, and stuff, that you'd be into romantic gestures," harry responds, shrugging and smiling sheepishly.

louis stares at her. "the grass is freezing cold," she replies. "i think i'm about to lose a toe. come inside, we'll talk in my room."

harry's head just about  _explodes_ at the thought of being inside louis' room, and her face burns bright red as she follows louis inside, kicking off her shoes at the front door when louis gestures to them. they tiptoe through the house and up the stairs, and harry's mind is still spinning with  _louis louis louis_ that it's really a miracle she can walk straight. they finally reach louis' room, and harry steps inside as louis shuts the door behind her, before stepping forward to turn a switch. fairy lights instantly brighten the room, and harry blinks in wonder. 

"your room is beautiful," she whispers, and louis smiles at her, rubbing sleep out of her eye.

"thank you," she says. "you don't have to whisper, my mum isn't home and my sisters sleep like the dead." harry nods her head and hovers awkwardly near the bed as louis rolls her eyes and sits down on it. "sit down, idiot," she says, and harry grins, gingerly sitting on top of the purple quilt.

♀♀♀

"so," louis says, and harry grins at her.

"so," she repeats, and louis feels the nerves flood out of her.

"i saw you dance in  _peter pan_ ," harry says, and louis beams at her. "my best friend, zayn, her sister is in your class. she played tiger lily," harry explains.

louis laughs. "my best friend liam is in love with her," she says. "zayn, i mean, not waliyha. though, i'm sure she's lovely."

"no way," harry grins. "zayn's in love with liam! her entire sketchbook is  _filled_ with drawings of her."

louis laughs again. "this is gold. liam writes really awful poetry about the colour of zayn's eyes. she has a list about a mile long of things that rhyme with _golden brown_. we'll have to do something devious with this information. embarrassing, even."

"i like the way you think," harry smirks. "you're a really good dancer, by the way. i mean- you probably know that, since you had the lead in your performance, but yeah."

"thank you," louis says, smiling shyly.

"i didn't make the connection, until like, an hour ago," harry says. "that it was you, i mean. you put on a deeper voice in the play, so it wasn't until today that i realised. my friend, lou teasdale, came over to cut my hair, and-"

louis grins. "she cuts my hair!" she interrupts, and harry nods. "she did our makeup for the play as well."

harry nods again. "crazy, right?"

"you're a really good singer," louis answers. "i only heard a bit, when you sang with ed sheeran on stage, but i like your voice. it's very raspy."

"thank you," harry replies. "look- i don't want to be forward, or anything, but i'm pretty sure that we're soul mates, basically, so can i-"

"if you aren't kissing me within the next three seconds, i'm going to have to ask you to leave," louis responds calmly, and harry grins before she practically lunges forward. their lips connect, and their teeth clash together, and it's messy, and hot, and  _familiar_. kissing harry feels like coming home after a long day. 

"that felt- familiar," harry says, when they eventually break apart.

louis nods her head in agreement, and can almost see the lightbulb go off in harry's head about the same time she realises.

"catwoman!" louis accuses at the same time that harry proclaims, "spidergirl!"

"oh my  _god_ ," they say simultaneously, before falling into a fit of laughter.

"niall was right," harry says eventually. "the universe has  _totally_ been trying to set us up."

louis grins, leaning forward and kissing harry softly. "well, we can't deny the universe, can we?" she whispers, and harry smiles against louis' lips.

"definitely not," she agrees, before pulling harry down.

"i'm harry," she smiles. "harry styles."

louis smiles. "louis tomlinson," she says. "it's very nice to meet you." harry grins at her. harry's eyes look like the sea, and when she smiles, crinkles appear next to them, like waves, maybe. louis' a little bit in love.

 

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr post can be found [here](http://slytherin-larrie.tumblr.com/post/142047747249/your-eyes-look-like-coming-home-by/)  
> thank you so much for reading. i would truly love it if any of you could spare the time to watch this [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEUumIaxM9M&app=desktop), and then consider sharing it or donating to [this cause](http://prf.donorpages.com/TeamEnzoFundraising/CatherinaLlontop/). a little boy that i know was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease called progeria. this disease causes him to age at rapid rates, and children who suffer from this have a life expectancy of only 15 years. enzo is currently the only child with this disease in the entirety of australia, and he and his family would appreciate any awareness you could raise or any funds you can spare. if you're unable to financially help, please consider even sharing the video so maybe it will reach someone who is able to. again, thank you for reading.
> 
> as usual, find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/slytherinlarry_) and [tumblr](http://slytherin-larrie.tumblr.com).


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